It Was Always You by S.L. Sterling (8)

I stood across from the exit at Gate B4 and watched Tatum. She looked exactly like I remembered. Her soft blonde hair brushed the side of her neck—hair I had longed to run my fingers through again. And her ass still looked amazing in her yoga pants.

My breath hitched and desire ran through me. I felt myself grow hard. I needed to get air before I went to talk to her. I looked down at my watch. I was already late. A half hour late to be exact, Elliott was going to kill me. I should have made something up to get out of this. Who had I been kidding? I wasn't prepared to see her, even after all this time.

I went to walk outside to get some air when I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket. Pulling out my phone, I saw a message from Elliott.

I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and swallowed hard. Typing out a quick response to Elliott, I turned and headed back into the airport.

I walked up behind her, cleared my throat, and softly said her name.

She turned, and I met those gorgeous hazel eyes that I had missed so much.

"Parker?" A smile came across her face. "Oh my God!"

She stood up and wrapped her arms around me, pressing her body into mine. She still smelled like coconut. Wrapping my arms around her, I pulled her in tighter and inhaled. It felt good to have her in my arms again, and I prayed she couldn't feel the hard ridge in my pants.

"I'm just going to grab a quick coffee. Have a seat," I said, guiding Tatum to sit back down.

I had spent five minutes in line listening to some woman ream out the barista because she had gotten her order wrong when I finally got my coffee. I walked back to the table and sat down across from her. "How have you been, Tatum?"

She looked exhausted and pale, and her eyes were bloodshot and lined with dark circles.

"I've been okay, Parker. What about you?"

I loved the way my name rolled off her tongue, and I would especially love to hear her scream my name. I had to stop thinking of her like this now. I shifted in my seat, the throbbing between my legs getting worse.

"Doing well. Elliott must have told you I am his partner now. I trained him when he started on this unit. Sure is a small world isn't it?" I looked up at her. She was looking down at the screen on her cell phone, completely ignoring what I had just said. The little color she had was now completely drained from her face. "Tatum? Is something wrong?"

"Hmmm...?"

"Is something wrong?" I raised my voice a little.

"It's nothing." She gave me a funny look, as if she was hiding something. Putting her cell into her purse, she said, "What do you say we get going?"

"What's the hurry? Relax, drink your coffee."

I watched as she looked through the crowd anxiously, fidgeting with her coffee cup. At one point, I thought I caught a glimpse of fear in her eyes.

"Tatum, are you sure everything is okay?" I didn't want to pry, but Elliott had been right, she was acting very strange, as if she was afraid of something. I hadn't seen her in years, and even I could tell.

She leaped up out of her seat and disposed of her coffee. Grabbing her bag and purse, she started heading toward the closest exit.

I frowned. She had no idea where I had even parked.

I grabbed my coffee and called after her, but she didn't stop. When she finally slowed her pace, I ran up beside her and grabbed hold of her upper arm. I saw her flinch at my touch, and I pulled my hand away. "Is everything all right? Did I hurt you?"

"No, you didn't hurt me. I'm fine."

"What on earth has you moving so quickly? You don't even know where I'm parked." She was avoiding my eyes which made me feel uneasy. She was definitely running from something.

When she finally met my eyes, she looked as if she could cry. "It's nothing, Parker. Just tired and emotional I guess. It's been a long few weeks. Guess everything is finally catching up with me. I'm just glad to finally be here."

I watched her expressions. She wasn't telling me the truth either. Elliott was right. Whatever had happened was pretty bad, but I had to shrug it off. After all, I hadn't seen her in years. I didn't expect her to tell me anything.

"Okay then, let’s head to your new place."

Taking her bag from her, we turned in the direction of the parking garage. Once we reached my truck, I helped her up into the front seat and loaded her bag into the back seat. It wasn't long before we were on the road heading to the address that Elliott had given me.

Once we left the airport parking lot and pulled out onto the highway, I finally started to relax. I kept stealing quick glances of Parker. His dark hair used to be long and always pulled up into a man bun, but was now cut pretty tight. His strong jaw line was more prominent with the beard he now wore, and his blue shirt enhanced his blue eyes. I watched as his strong hands gripped the steering wheel and his forearms flexed. I couldn't help but wonder what it would be like to have those hands on me. I clenched my thighs, trying to calm my throbbing center. Needing air, I reached over and rolled the window down. He had always been attractive, but time had turned him into a man.

"Did you want me to put the air on, Tatum?"

"No, I'm okay, thanks. I wanted some fresh air."

Giving a small, sexy smile, he turned his gaze back to the road. I wasn't sure how much longer I could be in this truck with him. I felt as if I was going to explode.

After what felt like hours, we finally pulled up in front of my new home. I saw my car parked in the driveway in front of Elliott's truck. The house was a small, blue bungalow right on the bay. I was already in love.

"He picked a good area for you, Tatum. There is a very low crime rate here. Also, you’re not too far from Elliott…or me for that matter," Parker said, putting the truck in park.

I stepped out of the truck just as the front door to my new home opened. Elliott came strolling down the front walkway still dressed in his uniform. I ran to give him a hug.

"Elliott this is perfect!" I said, wrapping my arms around him. "I love it!"

"Well, if you love it from seeing it out here, I’m sure you will love the inside." He grinned, letting me go and waving to Parker. "Hey, man, thanks for picking her up." Elliott walked over and got my bag and purse from the back seat of Parker's truck.

I stood and watched from a distance as Parker declined coming in. He said his good-byes to Elliott, gave a wave, one hell of a sexy smile to me, and pulled away from the curb. A part of me was kind of glad that Parker didn't stay. The man was walking sex. From the moment I had laid eyes on him in the airport, I was instantly wet. I couldn't stop wondering what it would be like to lay beneath him and feel the weight of his body on mine. He even smelled the same. I watched as Parker drove away.

Elliott stood in front of me, looking in the same direction. "I hope that wasn't too uncomfortable for you?"

I shrugged. "It was a little, but I got through it. It was nice to see him."

Elliott put his hand on my back and turned to guide me toward the house. "Are you ready to go in and see your new place? The movers arrived yesterday, so everything is here." Elliott led the way into the house, carrying my bag.

It was a two-bedroom house with a decent-sized living room and a galley kitchen—more than enough space for me. I had planned on doing some writing and decided to use the smaller of the two bedrooms for an office. The bedroom and living room had a sliding door leading out to the back deck overlooking the bay. It would be a perfect place to drink my morning coffee and get some sun. My bedroom held my king-size bed perfectly. This house couldn't be more perfect.

"Elliott, I love it."

"Great, I’m glad. Did you want to get out and grab a bite? I could take you to get some groceries as well before I head home.”

"Sounds great! I'm starving." I washed up and grabbed my purse, and then locked the door behind me as we headed to get some food.